14 NBA Teams Sued For Using Rap Songs on Social Media

As Drake is reportedly “happier” post-beef, his day one, Lil Wayne, is featured with Rick Ross on the new DJ Premier song “Ya Don’t Stop,” out now. 👀 In other news:

• Song streams & revenue 💰️

• 14 NBA teams have been hit with lawsuits 🚨

• Tory Lanez is getting ready to release new music 🎤

• New Music Friday releases 💿️

• Industry Insights 📈

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Songs Streams & Revenue

It’s a new week and a new song revenue chart. As reported by Hits Daily Double, which tracks streaming revenue week over week, the above chart reflects the streaming period from July 12 to July 18.

Eminem occupies five of the seven spots on the chart, pulling in a combined revenue of $346K. Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” still reigns supreme with $153K from 33M streams. Meanwhile, Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” stars in the six-figure revenue range.

14 NBA Teams Sued For Using Rap Songs on Socials

The NBA and rap music go way back. Since Allen Iverson in the ‘90s, who pioneered hip-hop-inspired tunnel fits (think oversized chains, baggy pants, and his signature cornrows) to today where it’s the genre of choice for warm-up music and game pauses (Steph Curry, we aren’t tired of “Not Like Us”). 

It’s even prominent in league promos like Metro Boomin’s NBA Finals commercial or Lil Wayne’s NBA playoffs commercial. However, major music companies are not happy with NBA teams using rap songs on their socials.

What did the NBA teams do?

Music companies, including Kobalt and the Artist Publishing Group, filed 14 separate lawsuits for $150,000 each against the following teams: 

• New York Knicks

• Atlanta Hawks

• Philly 76ers

• Cleveland Cavaliers

• Denver Nuggets

• Miami Heat

• Minnesota Timberwolves

• New Orleans Pelicans

• Indiana Pacers

• Orlando Magic

• Phoenix Suns

• Portland Trail Blazers 

• Sacramento Kings

• San Antonio Spurs

Basically, half the league is being accused of knowingly using songs that they should have licensed and paid for. Some of the songs listed are DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” A Boogie wit da Hoodie’s “Look Back at It,” and even former NBA star Shaq’s “I Know I Got (Skills).” Jay-Z, Cardi B, Meek Mill, and Migos are also mentioned without naming the specific songs. 

In each of the lawsuits, lawyers representing the music companies essentially state that the teams are ignoring the intellectual property rights of the musicians while making sure to protect their own. All 14 lawsuits combined are seeking $2.1M in compensation.

Why are the music companies pressed? 

Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have licensed music galore for you to use on your newest proof of life or photo dump post. However, brands can’t use these songs for promotional or commercial purposes without securing a synch license (like what TV ads use so they can blast “Not Like Us” before going back to the game). 

Rap music is hard to avoid, considering many videos captured during practice or pre-game have the genre playing in the background. The lawsuit seeks compensation for all the times copyrighted music was used for free by the previously mentioned teams.

Similar to when Drake and Rick Ross were beefing over whose house or airplane was bigger, this legal debacle feels above the average tax bracket.

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However, this is not the only way that big brands have been cracking down on the misuse of hip-hop and other music. The battle against AI is still raging on (we are looking at you, Drake) and other brands like Bang Energy in 2022 have caught heat for using songs without following the proper guidelines. 

Nevertheless, rap is still the soundtrack for shooting hoops – even if the NBA themselves have a foul called on them for how they use it. 

Tory Lanez Has Perfected Recording Music from Jail and is Ready to Drop 

In August 2023, Tory Lanez was sentenced to ten years in jail for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. He has remained active on social media platforms like Instagram, releasing “Free Tory” shirts and releasing his project Alone at Prom that November. 

Recently, he has been dropping “Lost Tapes” from behind bars twice a week on his YouTube page, but he seems to be ramping things up.

Lanez teases new music

In a July 24 Instagram post, a recorded call from Lanez via North Kern State Prison was released, saying that he finally figured out with his engineer how to record professional quality music while inside. 

“That being said, I’m about to start dropping hot heaps of coal on y’all head top. I’m dropping the all new ‘Free Tory’ playlist – it’s gon’ be updated every week with new music that I’m recording from prison in real time. This is the first of its kind and although God has already shown me that this moment is only temporary , it speaks testimony to the fact that no matter where they put me they can’t lock down my spirit, my ambition, my soul my passion nor my destiny,” Lanez said in the audio.

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He is still appealing his sentence and has the support of his Umbrellas. Members of his fan base just last week screamed “Free Tory” at Megan Thee Stallion as she continued her Hot Girl Summer Tour in the U.K. She responded by simply covering her nose as she walked by. 

Time will tell if Lanez's new tracks are heat and if the “justice” he desires will prevail. Nevertheless, he has maintained a strong support system of fans and peers.

New Music Friday

Here’s all the music you can listen to now—categorized by 💿️ for albums and 🎶 for singles:

• 💿️ Faith of a Mustard Seed by Mustard ft. Young Thug, Travis Scott, Future, Vince Staples, Schoolboy Q & more

• 💿️ Y2K! by Ice Spice ft. Central Cee, Travis Scott, and Gunna

• 💿️ DIAMANTE by Gordo ft. Young Dolph, Drake, Larry June & more

• 💿️ G.O.Ds Network - REB7RTH by Rakim 

• 💿️ It Was Never Serious by K. Suave

• 🎶 “Hate Me” by Lil Yachty and Ian

• 🎶 “Prison Tapes” Tory Lanez

• 🎶 “Ya Don’t Stop” by Big Sean, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and DJ Premier

• 🎶 “Rubberband Man” by Babyface Ray

• 🎶“Nokia”by Smino

• 🎶“Saturday Mornings” by Cordae and Lil Wayne

• 🎶“John Wayne”by Young Nudy and Metro Boomin

• A PSA from Travis Scott: Ragers, get to New Jersey ASAP. Along with adding dates in Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand, Scott will be doing a one-night-only show at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 9. 

• Enough with the sneak peeks, drop VULTURES 2. Streamer Adin Ross previewed a new track with Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, and Future allegedly called “Promotion” on his stream on July 23. 

• Jay-Z has another diamond to add to the collection. His song “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys has officially been certified diamond by the RIAA. 

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